By NALINEE SEELAL Saturday, January 28 2012

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A copy of the Blackman's Private School letter to parents, sent to Newsday....

PRINCIPAL of Blackman Private School Arlene Blackman yesterday in a note to parents in her school in Maraval accused two school boys of misbehaving in the school toilet to which she said she intended to put to an end.

The action she took, however, was to put the head of one of the boys into the toilet bowl and flush it, an act that has caused an outcry of shock and public dismay which is now being investigated by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Gender Youth and Child Development.

At no time in the letter did Mrs Blackman deny putting the child’s head in the toilet. The story was exclusively reported in Newsday on Thursday when the child’s parents took the matter to the police.

Blackman was called in by the police and gave a statement in which she admitted to having put the boy’s head in a toilet. The matter is still being investigated by police and a file is expected to be sent to the Senior Superintendent head of Port-of-Spain Division for further action.

It took the principal four days to respond to the story and she did so by issuing a one page, eight line, letter to parents in which she stated that she was determined since the beginning of the term to deal with deviant behaviour of students. The carefully worded statement delivered to parents was a brief note to put their hearts at ease.

“I have been determined to put a stop to the report of nasty and frequent mischievous behaviour in the boys’ bathroom.”

She also noted that other principals at other schools had also expressed similar concerns. The letter went on to state that she issued an ultimatum at the beginning of the term for all the boys that any unacceptable behaviour in the bathroom would be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

She also stated in the letter “I am currently seeking professional advice on the way forward.” “Yours truly, Arlene Blackman, Principal”.

Yesterday the student who made the allegation against the teacher did not attend classes and Newsday understands his parents have intentions of placing him in another school. On Monday afternoon Carvar Rullow the father of eight-year-old Kaya Rullow a standard three student of the school was told by his son who is an American citizen that he was playing a game called tag in the toilet area of the school when he was accosted by a teacher who placed his head in a toilet bowl and flushed it.

The enraged father made a report to officers of the St Clair Police Station and on Tuesday the teacher was questioned at the St Clair Police Station where she gave a confession statement and was cautioned. The statement was authenticated by Justice of the Peace Marissa Singh and the file is expected to be sent to the Senior Superintendent in charge of the Port-of-Spain Division for his directions in the matter.

Another student of the school who was also subjected to the same assault was expected to be interviewed by the police yesterday. The incident has sparked outrage from several sectors including Government Ministers Verna St Rose-Greaves and Minister of Education Dr Tim Gopeesingh.

Gopeesingh has ordered a full scale probe into the matter and has summoned Principal Blackman to a meeting with the school supervisor and the Chief Education Officer for a full explanation on the incident.

Yesterday TTUTA President Rouston Job said that if the incident is true then this is not the behaviour that one would want from a teacher. Having said that of course due process must be observed. Senior police officers said yesterday that they considered the allegation a very serious one and one which will be thoroughly investigated.



Editor’s Note: Newsday’s account of the incident was an accurate one and nowhere in Mrs Blackman’s letter to parents did she deny our report.